National Clams on the Half Shell Day is observed each year on March 31. This food holiday is a day for the clam lovers to enjoy a unique dish.
The best variety of hardshell clams (also called Quahogs) for serving on the half-shell is the topneck, but you will find recipes using littlenecks and cherrystone as well. The topnecks run about two inches across, and the meaty clam is enough for a bite-sized morsel of Atlantic saltwater goodness.
Clams on the half shell can be raw, steamed, grilled or even smoked.
One popular “on the half shell” recipe originated in Rhode Island. Often served as an appetizer, Clams Casino is a dish with toasted breadcrumbs and bacon. Legend has it the recipe for Clam Casino dates back to 1917 and the Little Casino in Narragansett, Rhode Island. According to Good Housekeeping Great American Classics, maître d’hôtel Julius Keller and Mrs. Paran Stevens developed clams casino for her guests, as she wanted to serve up something special and named it after the hotel. The dish soon became so successful, word spread, and it began appearing on menus across the nation.
Everyone loves clams. A little butter, a little candlelight, yum! But, have you ever wondered about the secret life of this tasty mollusk? Here are 100 fun facts you probably never knew about the lowly clam.
- Freshwater clams can live inside an aquarium.
- The three main types of clams are soft-shelled, hard clams, and surf clams.
- Clams are classified as a mollusk.
- There are over 15,000 species of clams.
- There are over 150 edible species.
- Steamers are soft shell clams.
- Clams live in the sand upside down.
- Only 1/10th of 1% of larvae survive to become adult clams.
- Depuration is the process of cleaning shellfish, removing bacteria, so that it is safe for us to eat.
- Quahogs are a species of clam.
As you sit at the raw bar shucking down claims, you can read the remaining 90 facts HERE.
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